Yoru's figure was like a flash of dark red lightning piercing the darkness, speeding through the complex tunnels following the almost imperceptible trail of residual cursed energy.
He had pushed his speed to the absolute limit.
The surrounding walls and abandoned trains blurred into vague afterimages in his vision.
In the vision provided by the Transparent World, the cursed energy trail left by the fleeing 'Brain' Kenjaku, who carried the Prison Realm, was becoming increasingly clear.
"Almost there."
Yoru's eyes were cold, and his right hand tightened slightly on the hilt of Shiranui.
No matter how many Special Grade Cursed Spirits Kenjaku left behind as decoys, they were nothing more than gnats trying to stop a carriage before the overwhelming destructive power of Sun Breathing.
However.
Just as Yoru was about to dash out of a massive underground transfer station.
*Hum—!*
A bone-chilling, soul-freezing surge of terrifying cursed energy suddenly erupted from the darkness ahead without any warning!
The ambient temperature plummeted below freezing in an instant.
Even the breath Yoru exhaled immediately turned into white frost.
"Hm?"
Yoru's pupils shrank slightly, and his forward momentum ground to a halt, his feet carving two deep furrows into the debris-strewn floor.
*Crack! Crackle!*
Accompanied by the grating sound of freezing.
The ground ahead, the walls, and even the moisture in the air were freezing at a terrifying speed!
A thick layer of frost spread like a plague, transforming the entire transfer station into a frozen wasteland.
And in the center of that frozen land.
A petite figure dressed in white monk robes with straight-cut bangs stood silently.
"You wish to pursue?"
The figure slowly looked up, revealing an androgynous face that wore a cold, cruel smile.
"Regrettably, your journey ends here."
The newcomer was the fanatical follower of the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna.
It was the sorcerer who had lived for a thousand years—Uraume!
Yoru's gaze landed on Uraume, his eyes showing no hint of surprise; instead, they held a calm that suggested he had expected this.
"Uraume."
Yoru uttered the name slowly, his voice laced with a sliver of frost.
"I was wondering why a loyal dog like you wasn't wagging its tail by Sukuna's side the moment he woke up."
"It turns out that disgusting Brain, Kenjaku, left you here to be his watchdog."
Yoru's words were as sharp as a blade, stabbing ruthlessly at Uraume's pride.
Uraume's eyes instantly became sinister and cold, the previously composed demeanor vanishing in a heartbeat.
"You damn monkey..."
Uraume gnashed their teeth, their hands quickly forming a complex seal in front of their chest.
"How dare you insult Lord Sukuna!"
"Boom—!"
Accompanied by Uraume's roar.
[ICE FORMATION] fully activated!
The temperature in the already bone-chilling underground station plummeted once again!
*Crack! Crack!*
Countless massive ice pillars, as thick as columns and as sharp as blades, erupted frantically from the ground beneath Yoru's feet!
These ice spikes moved with incredible speed and covered a vast area.
In an instant, they sealed off every possible space Yoru could use to dodge!
Carrying a piercing chill and terrifying penetrative force, they formed a massive cage of ice intended to impale and freeze Yoru entirely!
This was the Ice Formation technique Uraume took such pride in.
Even a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer would have to retreat when faced with such a terrifying technique that could freeze everything in an instant.
However.
Facing the onslaught of massive ice spikes.
Yoru showed no intention of yielding.
Within his eyes, a strange, transparent luster flared up.
Transparent World, full release!
In Yoru's vision, time itself seemed to slow down infinitely at this moment.
The flow of cursed energy within Uraume's body, rushing like a great river.
The structures and weak points of the ice spikes growing frantically from the ground.
Even the trajectory of every wisp of cold air was clearly visible to Yoru!
"Too crude."
Yoru's voice echoed through the freezing air.
Without any redundant movement.
Yoru simply took a deep breath.
A massive amount of oxygen flooded his lungs, pushing his internal blood temperature to a staggering peak!
The Slayer Mark of Sun Breathing erupted in a blinding dark red light on his forehead.
"Sun Breathing, Sixth Form..."
Yoru gripped the hilt of Shiranui with both hands.
A mass of deep red flames, more brilliant than the sun, exploded from the pitch-black blade!
"Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
"Boom!"
With Yoru's swing.
A massive and violent circular fire strike, like a miniature sun descending from the heavens, erupted outward with Yoru at the center!
Extreme cold versus extreme heat!
Ice versus fire!
Two completely different yet equally destructive elements collided within this narrow underground space, creating an earth-shattering impact!
*Sizzle—!*
Accompanied by the harsh sound of vaporization.
The massive ice spikes capable of piercing through steel melted at a visible rate the moment they touched those deep red flames, as if they had met their natural enemy!
A massive explosion of white steam followed, enveloping the entire transfer station like a thick fog.
The temperature of the underground space became abnormally distorted under the alternation of extreme cold and heat.
"What?!"
Uraume's pupils shrank, a flash of disbelief crossing their eyes.
Their proud Ice Formation was completely evaporated the moment it made contact with those bizarre flames?
What kind of fire was that?!
Even the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Jogo, who was said to possess incredibly high-temperature flames, could never melt their ice so easily!
"Your ice is too brittle."
In the moment of Uraume's shock.
A cold voice suddenly pierced through the dense white steam, booming in their ear!
*Swish—!*
Yoru's figure burst from the steam like a ghost.
Shiranui in his hand carried a dazzling dark red flame, sweeping toward Uraume's neck like the scythe of a reaper!
The speed was so great that the air was torn apart with a piercing sonic boom!
Uraume was horrified, but a thousand years of combat experience allowed them to react correctly in this split second.
"Ice Formation: Frost Calm!"
Uraume took a sharp breath and exhaled a blast of frigid air!
This freezing breath instantly formed an incredibly thick ice wall in front of Yoru, attempting to block the fatal strike.
*Bang—!*
Shiranui struck the ice wall with immense force.
Sparks flew everywhere!
Ice shards scattered!
Although the flames of Sun Breathing were rapidly melting the wall, its thickness and hardness far exceeded the previous ice spikes.
Even Yoru felt his wrist go slightly numb from the massive counter-force.
"Your opponent is me."
Hiding behind the ice wall, Uraume stared intently at Yoru through the semi-transparent ice.
A cold smile tugged at the corners of their mouth.
"Don't think you can break through my defense so easily."
"I know what you're thinking. You want to finish me quickly to chase after the one with the Prison Realm, don't you?"
Uraume's hands began to form seals again.
The water vapor that had previously been melted began to condense rapidly under their cursed energy manipulation.
"Unfortunately, as long as I am here, you won't take a single step past this point!"
"To ensure Lord Sukuna awakens in a perfect world, any potential threat must be eradicated here!"
With Uraume's words.
The temperature of the entire underground space dropped once more.
This time, it wasn't just the floor.
The ceiling, the surrounding pillars, and even the water vapor clinging to Yoru were all starting to freeze.
Uraume was determined to use this large-scale, persistent freezing field to exhaust Yoru's stamina and stall for time.
Yoru looked at the space, now almost completely encased in ice, and frowned slightly.
He had seen through Uraume's intention.
This sorcerer who had lived for a thousand years, in terms of both cursed energy and combat experience, was not comparable to the cursed spirits used as bait earlier.
Under normal circumstances, Yoru wouldn't mind humoring them for a while, slowly melting their proud ice with Sun Breathing.
But now.
Time was the one thing Yoru lacked most.
In his Transparent World vision.
The residual cursed energy left by Kenjaku was becoming fainter.
This meant that the cunning Brain was fleeing the Shibuya underground facility at extreme speed.
If he managed to escape Shibuya and go into hiding with the Prison Realm containing Satoru Gojo.
The situation would become extremely problematic!
He had to end this quickly!
Yoru's gaze instantly became cold as frost.
He slowly returned Shiranui to the scabbard at his waist.
His left hand gripped the scabbard, while his right hand rested lightly on the hilt.
A flawless iaijutsu stance.
"You think you can block me?"
Yoru lowered his head slightly, the mark on his forehead appearing to burn, emitting an extreme heat that could incinerate anything.
The blood in his body surged through his veins like boiling lava.
Even the air around him began to warp violently due to the extreme temperature.
"Uraume."
"Since you like ice so much..."
Yoru suddenly looked up.
Within those dark red eyes, it was as if two blinding suns were burning!
"Then let me see if your ice can block the true sun!"
A second later.
Yoru's breath boomed through the frozen underground space like thunder!
"Sun Breathing..."